Nursing bottle



SEHCHI YAZAK? NURSING BOTTLE June 6, 1967 Filed Sept. 15, 1965 United States Patent 3,323,669 NURSilNG BQTTLE Seiichi Yazalri, l42 Koorigaolra, Hiralrata, Japan Filed Sept. 15, 19%5, Ser. No. 487,539 13 Claims. (Cl. 215-11) The present invention relates to a nursing bottle and elements thereof and more particularly is directed to a nursing bottle so constructed as to regulate the flow of liquid from the bottle through the nipple.

As is well known, the conventional nursing bottle such as commonly used in feeding infants comprises a bottle having a rubber nipple directly fitted onto the mouth of the bottle with the nipple containing several small openings in its nozzle for discharging the contents of the bottle into the mouth of the infant. Such bottles permit the liquid to flow excessively when the bottle is full, thereby tending to choke the infant. When the supply of milk in the bottle decreases, the flow of milk frequently ceases or is interrupted as a result of the nipple caving in when it is vigorously sucked by the infant. The cave-in of the nipple is caused by a reduction of the pressure in the bottle during sucking of the nipple. In order to start the flow of the liquid, the nipple has to be removed from the mouth of the infant to permit intake of air through the nipple, thereby equalizing the pressure in the bottle relative to the ambient atmosphere. The nipple is then again placed in the infants mouth and this process is repeated. It is well known that this process often causes the infant not to be properly fed.

The present invention eliminates these problems. According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a nursing bottle assembly comprising a bottle, a cap mounted on said bottle and a nipple mounted on said cap, means in said cap providing communication between the bottle and the interior of the nipple, said nipple having discharge means, said assembly having venting means for providing open communication between the interior pf the nipple and the ambient atmosphere. Preferably said means providing communication between the bottle and the interior of the nipple comprises a tube extending into the nipple and said venting means comprises a groove in the exterior of the cap.

Other aspects of the invention are directed to the cap, per se, and to the combination of the cap and the nipple. These and other aspects of the invention will be readily apparent from the following escription of an exemplary embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-section of the assembly;

FIG. 2 is a cross section on the line XX of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary and detailed drawing of the sucking nozzle of the nipple of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the top of the sucking nozzle of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the nursing bottle assembly when the bottle is inverted; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical, cross-sectional view of the nursing bottle assembly in a tilted position with the nipple being lower than the bottle.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown therein the nursing bottle 1 having an externally threaded mouth 2. The cap comprises a base including a plate 3 having a downwardly depending internally threaded hollow portion 3, which threadedly engages the mouth of the bottle. In this application the words downwardly and upwardly refer to the relative directions when the bottle is positioned as shown in FIG. 1.

On the plate 3' where is an upwardly extending portion 4 which is a hollow cylinder in the illustrated embodinursing bottle 3,323,669 Patented June 6, I967 merit, and which has an external circumferential head or lip 4 near the upper extremities thereof.

A nipple 6 which has a base or root 6' and a sucking nozzle or tip '1" is mounted on the cap by having the base 6 slipped over the upwardly extending portion 4. The head 4 serves to maintain the nipple in place. The sucking nozzle 7 has discharge means 8 in the form of crossed slits which serve as a check valve.

Conduit means are provided in the cap for providing communication between the interior of the bottle and the nipple chamber B, which means can be constituted by a hole or aperture (not shown) in plate 3, but which is preferably constituted by a tube 5 extending upwardly from the plate 3. In the illustrated embodiment, tube 5 and upwardly extending cylindrical portion 4 are concentric.

Venting means are also included for providing open communication between the nipple chamber B and the ambient atmosphere. In the illustrated embodiment, the venting means is constituted by a longitudinal groove A on the exterior of the upwardly extending portion 4, said groove extending upwardly to the uppermost extremity of portion 4 and terminates inwardly of the exterior sur face of portion 4. It will readily be apparent that this groove A provides communication between the nipple chamber B under the inner surface of the nipple base 6'.

When there is provided a nursing bottle assembly as described above, no matter what be the level of the liquid L in the bottle, and no matter how the position of the bottle may vary, the liquid level in the nipple will be at the tip of tube 5, and the venting channel will not be blocked by the liquid.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 5 and 6, it will be appreciated that when the infant sucks on the nipple and withdraws liquid therefrom, the liquid level of the nipple chamber B will be lowered to create a gap between the end of tube 5 and the liquid level of the chamber B. Air Will then fiow into the nipple chamber B through venting channel A in an amount corresponding to the size of the gap. This air can then flow through tube 5 into the bottle to equalize the pressure in the bottle and permit liquid to fiow from the bottle chamber C through the connecting tube 5 into the nipple.

Stated differently, ambient air will be absorbed through the venting channel A in an amount equal to the amount of liquid withdrawn from the nipple chamber by the infant, and this air will then. flow into the bottle and permit an equal amount of liquid to flow into the nipple. This assures a constant supply of liquid in the nipple whether or not the infant is sucking the nipple. As milk is withdrawn from the nipple, the supply is immediately replenished from within the bottle.

Preferably, as illustrated, the discharge means of the nipple is provided by cross shaped slits 3. If the discharge were merely one or more openings in the nipple nozzle, when the bottle is placed in the upright position, as shown in FIG. 1, the milk in the nipple chamber B would flow out of the venting channel A. However, by providing the discharge in the form illustrated, the cross shaped slits act as a check valve to close the discharge as a result of atmospheric pressure. This eliminates leaking of milk through the venting channel. Furthermore, this check valve serves to prevent saliva from entering the nipple from the infants mouth during sucking.

It will be appreciated the level of the liquid in the nipple chamber B, that is, the level of the liquid in the nipple relative to the end of tube 5 represents a balance between the sum of the air pressure in chamber C of the bottle plus the hydrostatic pressure in the bottle and the sum of the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid in the nipple at the end of tube 5 plus the atmospheric pres sure.

Preferably, tube 5 extends into the nipple chamber above the uppermost extremity of upwardly extending portion 4.

I claim:

1. A nursing bottle assembly comprising a bottle, a cap mounted on said bottle and a nipple mounted on Said cap, conduit means extending into said nipple providing communication between the bottle and the interior of the nipple, the lower extremity of said conduit means not extending below the lowermost extremity of said cap, the upper portion of said conduit means being spaced apart from the inner wall of said nipple to define a space in the interior of said nipple about said conduit means, said nipple having discharge means, said assembly having venting means for providing open communication between said space in the interior of the nipple and the ambient atmosphere.

2. A nursing bottle assembly according to claim 1 wherein said conduit means comprises a tube extending into said nipple.

3. A nursing bottle assembly according to claim 2, wherein said venting means comprises a groove in the exterior of the cap.

4. A nursing bottle assembly comprising a bottle, a cap, and a nipple, said cap including a base having means on one side thereof securing said cap to said bottle, an upwarding extending portion on the other side of said base, said nipple being mounted on said upwardly extending portion, conduit means extending through said base and said upwardly extending portion into said nipple providing communication between the interior of the bottle and the interior of the nipple, the lower extremity of said conduit means not extending below the lowermost extremity of said cap, the upper portion of said conduit means being spaced apart from the inner wall of said nipple to define a space in the interior of said nipple about said conduit means, and venting means on said cap providing open communication between said space in the interior of said nipple and the ambient atmosphere.

5. A nursing bottle assembly according to claim 4, wherein said conduit means comprises a tube extending upwardly above the uppermost extremity of said upwardly extending portion.

6. A nursing bottle assembly according to claim 5, wherein said venting means comprises a groove on the exterior of said upwardly extending portion.

7. A nursing bottle assembly according to claim 6, wherein said base is constituted by a plate having a downwardly depending hollow threaded portion which threadedly engages said nursing bottle.

8. A nursing assembly comprising a cap and a nipple, said cap including a base having means on one side thereof for securing said cap to a nursing bottle, an upwardly extending portion on the other side of said base, said nipple being mounted on said upwardly extending portion, conduit means extending through said base and said upwardly extending portion into said nipple providing communication between the interior of the bottle and the interior of said nipple, the lower extremity of said conduit means not extending below the lowermost extremity of said cap, the upper portion of said conduit means being spaced apart from the inner wall of said nipple to define a space in the interior of said nipple about said conduit means, and venting means on said cap providing open communication between said space in the interior of said nipple and the ambient atmosphere.

9 A nursing assembly according to claim 8, wherein said conduit means comprises a tube extending upwardly above the uppermost extremity of said upwardly extending portion.

1% A nursing assembly according to claim 9 wherein said venting means comprises a groove on the exterior of said upwardly extending portion.

11. A cap for a nursing bottle comprising a base constituted by a plate having a downwardly depending hollow thread-ed portion for securing said cap to a nursing bottle, an upwardly extending tubular portion on said plate providing means for securing a nipple to said cap, conduit means through said plate and upwardly extending portion to permit the contents of the bottle to flow into the nipple, the lower extremity of said conduit means not extending below the lowermost extremity of said cap, the upper portion of said conduit means being spaced inwardly from the exterior of said tubular portion so that when the nipple is mounted on said tubular portion the exterior of the upper portion of said conduit means will be spaced apart from the inner wall of said nipple to define a space in the interior of said nipple about said conduit means, and venting means in said cap providing communication between the exterior surface of the cap and a point inwardly of the exterior of said upwardly extending portion and outwardly from the exterior of said upper portion of said conduit means to provide open communication between the atmosphere and said space in the interior of the nipple when the nipple is mounted on said upwardly extending portion.

112. A cap according to claim 11, wherein said conduit means comprises a tube extending upwardly above the uppermost extremity of said upwardly extending portion.

13. A cap according to claim 12, wherein said venting means comprises a groove on the exterior of said upwardly extending portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 138,219 4/1873 White 21511 1,118,134 11/1914 Jones 21511 2,767,871 10/1956 Shapiro 21.--11

FOREIGN PATENTS.

4,231 9/1881 Great Britain.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

D. F. NORTON, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A NURSING BOTTLE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A BOTTLE, A CAP MOUNTED ON SAID BOTTLE AND A NIPPLE MOUNTED ON SAID CAP, CONDUIT MEANS EXTENDING INTO SAID NIPPLE PROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE BOTTLE AND THE INTERIOR OF THE NIPPLE, THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF SAID CONDUIT MEANS NOT EXTENDING BELOW THE LOWERMOST EXTREMITY OF SAID CAP, THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID CONDUIT MEANS BEING SPACED APART FROM THE INNER WALL OF SAID NIPPLE TO DEFINE A SPACE IN THE INTERIOR OF SAID NIPPLE ABOUT SAID CONDUIT MEANS, SAID NIPPLE HAVING DISCHARGE MEANS, SAID ASSEMBLY HAVING VENTING MEANS FOR PROVIDING OPEN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID SPACE IN THE INTERIOR OF THE NIPPLE AND THE AMBIENT ATMOSPHERE. 